1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus having a plurality of storage units for storing sheets on which reception images are recorded.
2. Related Background Art
A facsimile or image formation apparatus having a sorter is known.
However, sheets on which reception images are recorded as a large number of pages cannot be discharged on each bin tray in a conventional sorter due to a small stackable number, resulting in inconvenience.
More specifically, regardless of the number of received pages, sheets on which images are recorded are discharged on a designated bin tray. When the number of output sheets exceeds or is found to exceed the stackable number of this bin tray, the output is interrupted. Non-output information is preferably output to an adjacent bin tray. However, when this bin tray is full, sheets are output to any empty bin tray. If impossible, the transmitted information is stored in an image memory. In any case, a series of pieces of information are divided, resulting in complex handling of a reception document.
A confidential received image is recorded when a receiver inputs his password. Although the receiver is present near a facsimile apparatus, a recorded sheet is discharged to a bin tray which is not easily accessed by the receiver.
An image communication apparatus outputs a communication management report except for sheets of reception and copy images. However, a communication management report periodically output from the facsimile apparatus is useful for only a specific user. When one facsimile apparatus is shared by a plurality of users, this communication management report is left on the bin tray.
In a sorter having only a lead-through sensor (i.e., a sensor for detecting a specific one of a plurality of bin trays, which has a sheet therein), an image communication apparatus cannot detect that sheets are removed from the remaining bin trays if any sheet is present in any bin tray.
In an image communication apparatus of this type, although sheets of reception and copy images are removed from the bin trays, the communication management report such as a communication end report, an error message, or a memory transmission end report discharged on a bin tray tends to be left in this bin tray. When such a communication management report is discharged on a bin tray whose paper sheet is detected by a through sensor, the through sensor always detects the presence of a sheet due to the presence of the communication management report left in the bin tray although all the sheets of reception and copy images are removed. Therefore, sorter control may not be efficiently performed.